Special Blog Post: Brendan

Brendan from Happy Hippie Presents #InstaPride shares how YOU can turn awareness into action! Get involved by taking action below!

Hello, my name is Brendan Jordan and you may have recognized me from many, many things floating around the Internet. For those of you who don’t know, I am a 16-year-old full time student who identifies as gender-fluid, currently living with my wonderful, accepting, and loving family in the glamorous city of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Earlier this year during the summer season, I collaborated with The Happy Hippie Foundation and Miley Cyrus to release the #InstaPride Photo Campaign along with many other amazing and beautiful transgender people. Since then I have learned so many things about gender identification, and the importance of safety, love, and awareness.

Now today, as the Transgender Awareness Week is upon us, it is very important to remember the people who have struggled and have gone through severe hardships in life just so they could live as the person they were truly meant to be. I also think its very important to remember those who have even lost their lives due to the misunderstanding and cruel ways of this world. 2015 has been an amazing year for the trans community. Many people like you and I have learned a lot about gender and the gender spectrum in its entirety this year. I have learned to be even more open-minded with my own experimentation, and myself, only leading to an even greater happiness that I never knew existed. This is why I encourage many people to always be open and accepting with yourself and others around you. If we all just accept the fact that we all are human no matter what, and no matter what our differences might be­–we all are actually very similar.Our job on earth while we are living is to show love and care for those around us.

As awareness is glistening into the greater spotlight it deserves, I believe that in the year of 2016 this awareness can turn into an even greater action. I believe that within the next year there can be many laws produced to protect the rights of every trans person no matter what. This law should also apply to the many high-school students (like me) to protect any student who doesn’t feel safe in their environment, and to feel free enough to use the bathroom that which they identify with. Moving forward with the bathroom situation, in order to protect any and all trans people Gender Neutral restrooms should be a must in every public building. As times change more and more people become understanding and accepting of the people around them. This is probably an important job to all of us; to educate those who are not aware of these issues.

Every single day there is new hope and opportunity to be even more free and open than the day before, and to learn something new about you. Happy Transgender Awareness Week everyone!

HOW CAN YOU TAKE ACTION?

Urge your Senators to vote YES on the Student Non Discrimination Act. Tell them that the bullying and harassment that LGBT youth experience in schools is deplorable.